Qvest, Ateme, and Scaleway launch sovereign OTT platform for European broadcasters

This partnership provides a production-ready alternative to US-based hyperscalers at a time when 'digital sovereignty' is shifting from a policy concept to a procurement requirement. For European broadcasters, it mitigates long-term jurisdictional risk associated with the US CLOUD Act while ensuring compliance with the EU Data Act's strict data-portability mandates. By offering a managed service model, the trio lowers the technical barrier for Tier 2 and Tier 3 media organizations to migrate away from global providers. Watch for whether this consortium wins the newly launched €180 million European Commission sovereign cloud procurement tender.

The rollout of this sovereign OTT solution arrives as European cloud regulations reach a critical enforcement phase. Per the European Commission (June 2026), the new Cloud Sovereignty Framework (CSF) has introduced Sovereignty Effectiveness Assurance Levels (SEAL) to grade providers on a scale from SEAL-1 to SEAL-4. These scores assess technical autonomy and legal jurisdiction, effectively barring non-European providers from sensitive public-sector contracts under the highest security tiers. This regulatory environment is further tightened by the EU Data Act, which since September 2025 has mandated that cloud providers support free switching and block unlawful third-country data access.

Financial stakes for this transition are rising rapidly. Gartner (April 2026) projected that worldwide sovereign cloud spending would reach $80 billion in 2026, with European spending specifically seeing 83% year-over-year growth. This surge is partly driven by intensified GDPR enforcement; tracking data shows cumulative fines reached €7.1 billion by January 2026, with transnational data transfers remaining a primary target for regulators. European tech leaders have framed this infrastructure shift as a strategic necessity, frequently drawing parallels between digital dependence on US hyperscalers and the region's former reliance on foreign energy supplies.

Simultaneously, the European Commission is advancing the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), published in June 2026. This legislation formally defines digital sovereignty in EU law and introduces mandatory sovereignty risk assessments for member states. Under CADA's four-level architecture, Level 3 and Level 4 certifications require strict EU ownership and control, creating a significant market opening for integrated solutions like the Qvest-Ateme-Scaleway platform. As a result, European players like Atos and Schwarz Gruppe’s STACKIT are also pivoting toward vertical-specific sovereign clouds to capture this accelerating public and private sector demand.